RotoWire News: Trade talks between the Reds and Giants regarding Hamilton are dormant, though the Giants' acquisition of Andrew McCutchen doesn't preclude them from also adding Hamilton, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. (1/16/2018)

Profile: Profile: There isn't a prospect in the game who has capitalized on a single tool like Billy Hamilton. The love he receives is understandable, speed can be tantalizing and easy to identify. Hamilton should be fantastic on the base paths and he could be a great center fielder too. But remember, while speed does correlate with range, range alone can't be equated with good routes and good defense. Like any change, Hamilton's move to a new position will take time and could delay a substantive debut (read: non-pitch runner role) well into 2014. Additionally, there is reasonable concern over his ability at the plate. Hamilton's on base ability relies heavily on speed and deception and without any power to speak of, it's unreasonable to assume his minor league walk rate will hold up against advanced pitching. Be wary of Hamilton's batting average too. Defense in the minor leagues is laughably bad and while Hamilton's batting average may be bolstered by Ichrio-like infield hits, don't bet on it being above average.(JD Sussman)

The Quick Opinion: Without a center fielder on the Reds' roster, Hamilton's blazing speed could be ready for the 2013 season earlier than expected. (JD Sussman)

Profile: Hamilton will be a popular target in fantasy baseball because of his plus-plus speed but he likely won't help out in many other categories, unless he's able to turn his quick feet into a plethora of infield base hits and significantly impact his batting average. The young speedster's offensive ceiling is limited by his swing-and-miss tendencies and he doesn't walk much, thus limiting his on-base presence. He has enough bat speed to step into a few home runs but power will not be a part of his game. On the plus side, Hamilton's possible ability to play shortstop, second base and the outfield could make him a versatile fantasy player, which should help you find a way to work him into your lineup to take advantage of the stolen bases. He's expected to be the Reds' starting center fielder. (Marc Hulet)

The Quick Opinion: As long as you realize you're buying Hamilton for his stolen base abilities and expect little else, you'll likely come away happy from this relationship. His limited offensive potential and low on-base percentage will probably limit him to 50 or 60 steals in 2014 if he manages to receive regular playing time throughout the season.

Profile: In the end, Hamilton’s debut season wasn’t the rookie of the year-caliber sensation many fantasy owners had hoped for, but it wasn’t a terribly disappointing 2014 for the speed demon, either. He hit .250, maintained a decent contact rate and kept his strikeout rate under 20%, while scoring 72 runs for a team that had one of the worst offenses in baseball. And, of course, he brought his wheels with him: his 56 steals were tied for the second most in baseball behind Dee Gordon, though he was caught 23 times, leading to an underwhelming 71% success rate. The dark side to Hamilton’s season, however, was an unacceptable .292 on-base percentage and a second half in which he all but disappeared, slashing just .200/.254/.257. As Jeff Zimmerman noted, Hamilton was fed more fastballs as the season went on, which may have contributed to a high pop-up rate and a 37.3% fly ball rate that didn’t do him any favors. Fortunately, Hamilton’s plate discipline didn’t crumble after the all-star break (his whiff rate remained below league average), and he hit enough line drives and ground balls that, when one considers his speed, suggest he was cheated on a .253 average on balls in play. Fatigue could have been an issue as well; the 152 games in which he played were 17 more than he had done at any level in the minors. As for the on-base percentage, optimistic owners can point to an improved walk rate in the second half as evidence that the 9.5% walk percentage he maintained in the minors can one day find its way to The Show. Hamilton didn’t take the National League by storm last year, but as he enters his age-24 season, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll get better as time goes on. (Karl de Vries)

The Quick Opinion: Hamilton, naturally, is going to be a much sought-after commodity in roto leagues, but whereas he may have been overvalued entering 2014 in head to head formats, it’s possible some owners, soured that he didn’t conquer the majors in one season, might discount him in 2015. Although he’s still raw, his upside merits a pick somewhere around the top 30 at the position.

Profile: Hamilton’s on-base struggles (.274 on-base percentage) come down to one factor more than any other -- he needs to hit more ground balls. He is the fastest player in the majors and has a 1.1 ground ball to fly ball ratio. He doesn’t have the power to hit the ball out of the yard, so why try. He needs to be who he is. Of the 211 hitters in 2015 with 400 or more plate appearances, he was 128th in ground ball rate at 42.6%. Other players with similar ground ball rates are Marlon Byrd, Khris Davis, Mike Napoli, and Jorge Soler. Dee Gordon, who has similar skills to Hamilton, has a GB% near 60%. Gordon is using his speed to his advantage to get on base. This is what Hamilton should do. With the high number of easy fly ball outs, a 15% strikeout rate and a low walk rate (6%), he just doesn’t give himself the chance to get on base. When/if Hamilton gets on base this year, he is going to continue to steal a ton of bases. Last season, he stole them efficiently at 87% clip. If Hamilton stays the course, I expect a repeat of the 2015 season -- valued propped up only by stolen bases. He may rework his swing during spring training and go for more ground balls. If so, buy early, buy often. (Jeff Zimmerman)

The Quick Opinion: Billy Hamilton is swinging like a home run hitter -- he hasn’t yet gotten the memo that he should not try to hit for power. If he starts putting the ball on the ground in spring training? Buy, buy, buy.

Profile: Run Billy Run! Oddly, Hamilton's stolen base total has increased by exactly one in each of the past two years, which makes his 2017 forecast quite simple (totally kidding). Amazingly, he has stolen nearly 60 bases in each of the past two seasons, despite failing to eclipse the 500 plate appearance plateau. Though his BABIP overcorrected and rebounded to a higher level than he is likely to sustain, just imagine if he could repeat that .321 OBP and stay healthy enough to reach 600 plate appearances for just the second time. If you use his 2016 as the pace, that's 76 steals. Sure, the pitiful RBI total is harmful, but there's literally no one else that could impact one category more than Hamilton does. Rather than focus on what he can't do, focus on what he can. Don't make the mistake of undervaluing him simply because his fantasy contributions are concentrated in primarily one category. (Mike Podhorzer)

The Quick Opinion: As expected, Hamilton's BABIP rebounded and he wasn't the batting average drain he had been in 2015. Now with a neutral average, his stolen base total didn't have to come along with a "but...", and he should continue to float in that range, allowing you to reap the full benefits of all those steals.

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